Governor for fluid-pressure motors.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. JOHNSON, OF CHICAGO HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS.

GOVERNOR FOR FLUID-PRESSURE MOTORS- Specification of LettersI-atent.

Application filed July 24., 1902. Serial No. 116,834.

, Patented June 26, 1906.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago Heights, county'of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Governors for Fluid- Pressure Motors; and I declare the followin to be a full, clear, and exact description 0 the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ertains to make and use thesame, reference ein had to the accompanying drawings, which orm a part of this specification.

My invention relates in general to fluidpressure regulators, and more articularly to overnors or controllin the ow of motive uid to a pneumatic drifl or other fluid-pressure-operated engine. p

The quantity of motive fluid which passes through an engine when the throttle-valve is open is proportionate to the rapidity of movement 0 the piston, which in turn varies in s eed accordln to the resistance oflered to t e movement flhereof. When, therefore, the resistance decreases, the speed of the piston increases, and consequently the amount of motive fluid which passes throu h the engine increases. It is desirable to .iminish the flow of motive fluid to the cylinder of an engine when the load decreases in order to avoid the waste of motive fluid and more particularl to obviate the racing or running away 0 the engine and the consequent wear and tear thereon. In the use of pneumatic drills, for instance, when the drill is out of contact with the object worked upon the speed of the piston is at once reatly accelerated, thereby subjecting the rill to unnecessary wear and increasing the consumption of the motive fluid unless the flow of motive fluid is restricted.

The object of my innention is to provide a overnor for automatically regulatin the ow of motive fluid to an engine according to the rapidity of the movement of the piston.

A further object of my invention is to provide a governor for automaticallyvarying the quantity of motive fluid passing to an en ine in inverse proportion to the quantity of Tuid consumed by the engine.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a governor for flurdressure-operated engines which will be simp e in construction, inexpensive in manufacture, and eflicient in o eration.

The em odiment of my invention disciosedherein, generally described, consists in a chamber having a tapered wall of circular cross-section, a piston-valve located Within the chamber between the periphery of which and the tapered wall ofthe chamber the motive fluid passes to the engine, the pistonvalve being exposed on one side to motive fluid flowin from the source thereof andon its under si ie to motive fluid passing to the en ine.

invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same is illustrated as embodied in a convenient and practical form, and in which- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through my invention, showing. the pistonvalve in position to afford a maximum flow of pressure; Fi 2, a view similar to 1, showing the pis on-valve in position to a 0rd a minimum flow of fluid-pressure; Fig. 3, a

sectional View on line 3 3, ig. 1 and Fig. 4 a sectional view on line 4. 4, Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters are used to indicate similar parts in the several figures of the drawings. a

Reference character A indicates a portion of'a conduit leading from a source of motive fluidas, for instance, a reservoir of compressed air.

Reference character A indicates the portion of the conduit leading to an engine, such, for instance, as a pneumatic drill or to a point where fluid-pressure is used for other purposes.

Interposed between the ends of the sections A and A of the conduit is a'governor comprising a casing B, within whichis located a piston-valve O. The opposite ends of the governor-casing are pre erabl interiorly screw-threaded to be engaged y the screw-threaded ends of the conduit-sections A and A. I

The casin of the governor is provided with a chamber t erethrough forming a passageway through which the fluid-pressure passes.

IIO

same pressure.

shoulder 12 is cylindrical, as indicated at 6 l to a point adjacent to the annular shoulder bi The piston-valve C comprises an enlarged end C of circular cross-section, of a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the cylindrical portion 7) of the chamber. Arestricted passage 0 extends from the outer surface of the enlarged portion C of the piston-valve to the surface of the valve at a point between I the enlarged portion 0 and the opposite end thereof. The end of the valve-opposite to the enlarged portion C is provided with wings G which closely engage the interior surface of the cylinderical portion b of the chamber within the valve-casing. Passages c are located between the wings C and afford passage-ways for the fluidressure to pass to the section A of the con uit. The end of the valve at' which the wings C are located is provided with a recess 0 within which is seated the end of a conical spring D. The opposite end of the spring D rests against the annular shoulder 6 formed near the end of the casing B adjacent to the section A of the conduit. The governor is ordinarily located at a point between the throttle-valve and the engine; but it is obvious it may be located at any point in the conduit through which fluid-pressure passes from a source thereof to a point where it is used.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Thepiston-valve C is normally retained in the position indicated in Fig. 1 by means of the spring D, and when in such position afiords a maximum passage-way for the flow of fluid under pressure around the periphery of the enlarged portion C and the interior surface of the cylindrical portion b of the valvecasing chamber. The fluid-pressure after passin around the enlarged portion C 'fiows throug the passages c to the conduit A and thence to the engine or to the point where the fluid-pressure is used for any purpose. The space between the enlarge portion 0 and the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 6 of the casing is sufficient to permit the flow of fluid-pressure in sufficient quantity to meet the consumption thereof by the engine under normal running conditions, that iswhen the piston is subjected to the resistance afforded y the work for which the engine is designed and consequently the opposite surfaces of the j' piston-valve are exposed to substantially the When, however, the resist' ance to the movement of the piston in the engine is relieved and the movement thereof becomes more rapid, the amount of fluidpressure consumed by the engine is greater than can ass the enlarged portion C of the piston-Va .ve, and hence a greater pressure is exerted upon the surface of the piston-valve toward the supply of fluid pressure than the opposing pressure exerted upon the surfaces 0 the iston-valve exposed to the fluidpressure wlii ch has passed the enlarged portion C. The preponderance of pressure, therefore, on the side of the piston-valve toward the source of fluid-pressure moves the valve toward the section A of. the conduit. This movement of the piston-valve restricts the passage-way around the enlarged portion C thereof owing to the latter occupying a position within the tapered portion 1') of the chamber in the valve-casing. The movement of the enlarged portion of the piston-valve toward the annular seat 6 gradually restricts the passage-way around the piston-valve owing to the tapered interior wall I). If the consumption of fluid-pressure is such that the preponderance of pressure exerted on the end of the enlarged portion C of the valve is sufficient to compress the conical spring Dthe amount indicated in Fig. 2, the inner radial surface of the enlarged portion C will engage the annular shoulder b thereby cutting off all passage of fluid-pressure between the in terior wall of the chamber and the periphery of the enlarged portion C and restricting the flow of fluid-pressure passing the piston-valve to the limited passage-way afiorded by the passage 0. Sufiicient fluid-pressure can pass through the passage 0 to continue the movement of the piston in the engine during the interval that the load is discontinued. When the load is again assumed by the engineas, for instance, in the case of a pneumatic drill when the drill is again in contact with the surface worked uponthe movement of the piston is impeded and its speed diminished, so that the pressure builds up between the engine and the governor sufficiently to augment the tension of the spring D and move the piston-valve from the position sh own in Fig. 2 to itsnormal position indicated in Fig. 1. The tension of the conical spring D increases as it is compressed, and consequently when it is in the condition shown in Fig. 2 it exerts greater force to move the piston-valve to a position" where it will open the passage-way between the enlarged ortion 0 thereof and the surrounding wal of the chamber than it exerts against the reverse movement of the pistonvalvenamely, from the position indicated in Fig. l to that in Fig. 2. i

From the foregoing description it will be observed that I have invented a governor for controlling the passage of fluid under pressure which automatically regulates the size of the passage-way through which the fluid under pressure passes from a source thereof in inverse proportion to the consumption of the fluid-pressure at the point where it is used, thereby avoiding the racing or running away of the drill or other fluid-pressureoperated apparatus and the consequent wear and tear thereof.

While I have described more or less precisely the details of construction, ll do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as T contemplate changes in form,

the proportion of parts,and the substitution of equivalents, as circumstances may sug- 1grest or render expedient without departing cm the spirit of my invention.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a governor for fluids, the combination with a chamber havin a tapered interior wall, a cylindrical cham er communicating with said first chamber, a piston-valve having a head located within said first chamher and forming a passage-way for the fluid between the periphery thereof and the tapered wall of the chamber, a radial flange on the opposite end of said valve located within and closely enga ing the interior wall of said cylindrical cham er, and a spring normally maintaining the valve in position to afiord a maximum passage-way for the fluid.

2. The combination with a conduit leading from a source of motive fluid to an engine, of a governor located in said conduit comprising a chamber having a taperedinterior wall of circular cross-section and apiston-valve lo-* cated within said chamber and forming a passage-way for fluidressure between the periphery thereof and the taperedwall of the chamber, one surface of said valve being exposed to pressure flowin from the source thereof and the other s ace being exposed to pressure flowing to the engine and a spring normally maintaining said valve in position 10 gflord a maximum passage-way for the 3. In a fluid-governor, the combination with a chamber having a taperedinterior wall, of a cylindrical chamber communicating with said first chamber, an annular shoulder formed between said chambers, a pistonvalve having a head located within said first chamber and forming a passage-way for fluidressure between the periphery thereof and t e tapered wall of the chamber, a radial flange on the op osite end of saidvalve located within an closely enga ing the interior wall of said cylindrical c amber, said head being of a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of said shoulder and having a passage-way extending longitudinally therethrough, and a spring normally maintaining the valve in position to afford a maximum passage-way for the fluid.

4. The combination with a conduit leading from a source of motive fluid to an engine, of a governor located in said conduit comprising a chamber having a valve-seat therein and a piston-valve located within said chamber and forming a passage-way for fluid-pressure between the periphery thereof and the interior wall of the chamber, one surface of said valve being exposed to pressure flowing from the source thereof and the other surface being exposed to pressure flowing to said engine, said piston-valve having a passage therethrough for the flow of fluid-pressure when the passage-way around the periphery of the valve is closed by the engagement of the valve with the seat in the chamber, and a spring normally maintaining the valve in position to, afford a maximum passage way through the fluid-pressure;

5. In a governor for a fluid-operated engine, the combination with a chamber having an interior tapered wall of circular cross-sec tion, of a piston-valve located within said chamber and forming a passage-way for fluidpressure' between the periphery thereof and the tapered wall of the chamber, and a conical spring the apex of which extends into a recess in said piston-valve and the base of which engages a fixed support on the side of the valve toward the engine, whereby when the pressure on the surface of the valve'toward the engine is less than the pressure on the surface thereof toward the motive-fluid supply the passage -way around the valve Will be reduced.

6. The combination with a'conduit leading from a source of motive fluid to a point where the fluid is used, of a governor located in said conduit comprising achamber having a tapered interior wall ofcircular cross-section, a piston-valve located within said chamber and forming a passage-wa forfluid-pressure between the periphery thereof and the tapered wall of the chamber, one surface of said valve being exposed to ressure flowing from the source thereof an the other surface being exposed to pressure flowing to the point of use, and a spring normall maintaining the valve in position to aifor a maximum passage way for the fluid pressure whereby when the pressure on the surface of the valve toward the point of use is less than the pressure on the surface thereof toward the motivefluid supply the passage-way around the valve will be reduced.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. JOHNSON. Witnesses:

GEO. L. WILKINSON, O. O. CUNNINGHAM. 

